A Glimpse of the Kingdom by David W. Pendergrass, Ph.D.

Hey brother! Thanks for the email. Great questions. Let me respond to your email in   blue . . . but anyways, I have some questions.. Been trying to figure out how to word it.. You have said in the past everyone gets the same blessings. there is no choosing by god. everyone gets life, sunlight etc.   Well, kinda’. Jesus said in Matt 5:45 that the Father sends the “sun” and the “rain” on the righteous and unrighteous. That is, God, to some degree,   takes care of people   who love Him and those that don’t. Jesus’s point is that we, too, must take care of those who don’t love us. So, to be clear, not “everyone gets the same blessings,” as you said in your email, since the Bible never says that (some people get healed of sicknesses, others don’t…some get demons removed, others don’t…etc.). Therefore, God   sustains people in the Laws of Nature equally , but not everyone receives the same “blessings.” Ive always heard, Give yo...

I've known so many people who are offended at God. They've never said it like that before, but that's what they are. Offended. I know what it's like. I've been offended by Him too. Remember the time John the Baptizer (not "the Baptist," John didn't commence the first denomination) was put in prison for denouncing Herod's marriage? John is stuck in prison, apart from his family and friends, with plenty of time to reflect on his life. Sitting there in silence, smelling the refuse around his feet, John probably began to ponder: "Is Jesus the Messiah or not? If he is, what in the world am I doing in here? Are we not cousins? Is he not talking about God's reign of deliverance? Didn't I baptize that guy? Why am I still in here? What's he waiting on?!" Of course, I don't know exactly what John was thinking. Yet, I bet he thought something close to this because of what happened. In Matthew 11, we hear: ...

Before Resurrection Sunday I was generously invited to attend a very nice Seder meal administered by Congregation Beth Messiah, here in Houston. Reading over the Pascha material, I was struck by one of the early prayers that we all prayed. The second prayer for the Lighting of the Candles reads: Baruch atah Adonai Eloheynu Melech ha'olam shehecheyanu v'keeyehmanu v'heegiyanu lazman hazeh. Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has given us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season . I know that this prayer is specifically about the liturgical season of Pascha. Yet, theologically, I have no problem using that as a thanksgiving prayer for my own life. It was the last bit that struck me. In the last several years I have come to utter certainty that in all areas of our lives, we go through growth seasons. We have seasons in our work life, growing and moving from job to job. We have seasons in our romantic life, growing and learnin...

There’s a popular blog post going around much in the last couple months called, “The One Thing Christians Should Stop Saying” ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-dannemiller/christians-should-stop-saying_b_4868963.html ). It’s written by Scott Dannemiller, a worship leader and former missionary in the Presbyterian denomination. I won’t tell you what this post is about because I want you to make up your own mind. I read this blog post months ago and have reflected on it since then. I appreciate what I think he’s trying to say, but what he actually says is wrong on several points. I thought I should I write a response to this blog not as an example of one Christian beating on another one. No. I just want to breakdown the things he says in the hope that thinking carefully about things he says—which prima facie sound right—are actually not based on solid biblical thinking. My hope is that this exercise helps you also think critically when reading religious blogs (including my...

February 9                      Matthew 5:2-12             Congratulations! Literary Context In the first four chapters of Matthew, Jesus’s identity as “Son of God” is established. His royal pedigree (genealogy), divine office (baptism and temptations), and authority over evil and sickness is emphasized. Matthew then shifts the focus to Jesus’s authority as teacher of God’s will and righteousness. Matthew 5-7 (and Lk 6), often called the “Sermon on the Mount” (SOM), [1] offers a well-crafted, composite collection of lessons concerning what a citizen of the Kingdom of God should be , and how a citizen should behave . Interpretative Issues Congratulations to. . .(3-11). Other viable translations for “blessed are” would include, “congratulations to!” or “happy are!” With rare exception, when a blessing is attributed...

Nearly every Christian I’ve met speaks of Christianity in a utilitarian way. That is, Christians are Christians because it “works”: it makes you feel happy; it gives you hope; it gives you joy; it gives you community; it makes you rich; it gives you blessings. Of course, because they believe this, when they speak of Christianity with others, they “sell” Christianity in utilitarian terms: “Don’t you want to be happy?” “Don’t you want to go to heaven?” You see what that does? (And this is a really big deal) It makes Christianity a subjective preference . For example, replace “Christianity” with any hobby. Bob = “Why did you start jogging?” You = “Oh…because it makes me happy. It gives me joy. It gives me hope that my body will last longer.” Bob = “Huh. Well, I get all those things met by swimming.” You = “Yeah, it’s a very personal choice in life.” Bob =  “Huh.” You = “But, it’s really important that you consider taking up jogging. It’ll make you happy too...